


little hearts and sunshine

by parttimehuman



Series: Rarepair Galore [22]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Softness, attempts at asking for a date, coffee shop AU, cuteness, sunshine smiles - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22242412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parttimehuman/pseuds/parttimehuman
Summary: Brett has been in love with the guy from the coffee shop across the street since the first time he saw him smiling. If only he knew how to ask Corey out on a date.
Relationships: Corey Bryant/Brett Talbot
Series: Rarepair Galore [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1133369
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	little hearts and sunshine

Imagine a boy. A pretty boy, for sure. He's got fair skin and short, brown hair, big, wide open puppy eyes that might be light brown or might be green, but you haven't gotten a close enough look yet. What you know for certain is that he has the most beautiful smile in the whole world. It puts the sun to shame and makes your heart beat faster every time you see it. Imagine falling head over heels in love with someone against better judgment, forgetting about all the other fish in the sea because they simply do not compare.

Imagine a boy with that kind of magic in him, and you almost know who Corey is.

It's only been a few weeks since the first time Brett saw him. It was a Monday morning and Brett's first day at his new work place which happens to be right across the street from the coffee shop where Mr. Sunshine casts his spells on innocent customers. He remembers exactly, because Brett isn't the type to be starstruck by a pretty face, never has been. And yet, he's been coming back to order coffee from Corey at least once a day on every single day since said Monday.

Here's what he's learned so far:

  1. Corey's name. It's written by hand on a name tag that's clipped to his apron. It suits him. The name, but also the apron. Brett's heart was racing and his hands almost shaking when he tried the name out in front of Corey for the first time as he took his coffee and thanked him.



  1. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays there is no Corey at the coffee shop and less sunshine in Brett's life. On Thursdays, he doesn't come in until the early afternoon. Before that, he's busy taking classes of some sort. He could attend the local college, maybe.



  1. The work uniform seems to consist of black t-shirts under the aprons with the coffee shop's logo at the front, but Corey is the only employee Brett has seen so far who wears black button-down shirts instead. The way the sleeves are rolled up to his elbows makes him weak.



  1. Corey has a heart of gold and eternal patience. Brett likes to take his coffee at one of the booth where he can watch him work for a while. Not once has Corey been anything but friendly, not even to the rudest of customers. If everyone had a little Corey in them, the world would be a much better place. The guy deserves an award.



  1. When Brett orders his coffee to go, he gets a cup with his name on it, even when he's the only customer in the shop and Corey the only one making it. The handwriting is adorable although Corey manages to make the two ts look different from another. Brett may or may not have kept the first cup Corey handed him, and he may or may not stare at it sometimes while daydreaming about Corey.



  1. The occasional free cookies Brett gets with his order are the best cookies in the world, but the way Corey blushes when he offers them is even better. One day, Corey will smile at him with his cheeks tinted light pink, and Brett will die a happy man.



  1. Brett genuinely hopes that day doesn't come before he gets the chance to ask Corey out.



"Good morning." And there it is again, that smile. It's still dark outside and cold, but Corey shines bright as always. "What can I get you today?"

"Just the usual," Brett says, trying to smile back half as brightly.  _ Oh and could I have some courage to go with that coffee? _

It's not like Brett to be so nervous. He's handsome and he knows it, he's got a natural charm that people like. He's good at talking. He's asked enough boys and girls for dates, and none of them have given him a reason to be afraid to try it again. Except this right in front of him isn't just a pretty face that caught his attention. It's Corey, and somehow that makes it all different.

"Anything else I can do for you?" Corey asks while coffee pours into a cup. He's got a wonderfully soft voice that makes Brett forget that he's supposed to answer for a moment.

_ How about you let me take you out for dinner? _ Brett thinks. Or maybe he should ask for Corey's number first? Maybe text a little, test the waters, then ask for a date? Brett doesn't know, he suddenly knows he's never cared for any of his dates the way he does for Corey.

"Still early huh?" Corey remarks when he doesn't get a reply. "I get it. Good thing you get your coffee now. Here you go."

Brett takes the coffee, leaves a three dollar tip and curses himself on his way out. He just has to ask Sunshine Boy for a date and pray not to get his heart crushed, can it really be that hard?

Only when he's sitting at the desk in his office across the street does Brett notice the writing on his cup. Instead of just his name, it says,  _ Have a lovely day! _ And then there's a little smiley face beneath it too. And he didn't think Corey could get any cuter.

Of course, this means Brett has to go back to the coffee shop during lunch break. It's only going to be a truly lovely day if Corey gives him one of his special smiles and tells him yes. Yes, he'll go on a date with Brett. Brett doesn't want his list of facts about Corey to be a collection of silent observations. He wants it to go on forever, and he wants to add at least one new thing every day.

"Coffee for lunch?" Corey asks when he's back at the front of the line. "Rough day at work?"

Brett sighs. "It's not that. More like a personal crisis. Well, not a crisis. Just me being stupid, I'm afraid. I'm sorry. You didn't want to know that. I need to stop talking."

Corey gives him a soft little laugh. "Hey, you can keep talking for as long as you want as far as I'm concerned. Do you think a cookie would help with your non-crisis? I've got some triple chocolate ones that are fresh out of the oven. And if a warm cookie can't solve your problem, then I don't know what else can."

Maybe Brett should skip the date thing and straight up ask Corey to marry him. If only he would be getting useful words out at all.

"Thank you. You're really- Thank you, Corey."

Brett isn't sure whether he's going crazy now or if Corey is blushing again. He wants it to never stop, but the lady in line behind him sounds like she's getting impatient, so he pays and goes, all faith in himself and his flirting abilities lost. What is Corey doing to him?

In any case, he doesn't take quite as long this time to check his coffee cup. There's no writing on it, not even Brett's name. But instead, there's a tiny little heart, a little crooked, a little asymmetrical. Brett's face gets all warm all of a sudden and he starts grinning, walking back into the office looking like a love-drunk idiot, loving every second of it, cup clutched against his chest like the treasure it is.

By the time Brett has finished all his work for the day and is on his way back to the coffee shop for the third time, he's kind of afraid Corey won't be there anymore. He hurries out of the building and across the street, bag slung over his shoulder, the empty coffee cup with the heart on it in his hand, possibly for moral support or maybe as a reminder that he isn't just imagining things. Nothing has ever been more exciting and nerve-wracking than this.

As Brett pushes through the entrance door so strongly that everyone in line for coffee turns around, Corey's spot behind the counter has been taken by a young girl. Brett can almost taste his heart in his mouth when he asks about Corey, who must have just gotten off and left to go home.

"Shit," Brett mutters under his breath. Of course. He's already fucked up twice that day. Why did he think he deserved a third chance?

"Hey, are you Brett?" The girl in the apron asks with a nod to the coffee cup in his hand.

"Uh, yeah."

"Corey takes the bus home, you know," she says with a grin. "He might still be at the bus stop around the corner."

So maybe there is a third chance. Brett thanks her but not enough, turns on his heels and runs outside, praying. He'll either be too late or make it just in time, but after the day he's had wishing and failing and hoping and failing again, he needs to at least try. He runs as fast as he can, watching a guy that could be Corey getting on a bus, jumping on the same bus at the very last second although he has no idea where it will take him.

Everyone stares at Brett as he tries to catch his breath. Everyone, including Corey, still wearing his button-down shirt but without the apron over it. Brett is sure he looks a mess. He might be sweaty and his hair must be a disaster, but the biggest disaster would be letting another chance pass him by, and that's not happening again.

"Corey," he says breathlessly, smiling as Corey comes closer.

"Brett? What are you doing here?"

Now how exactly does he explain it best?

"Making a fool out of myself, probably," he mutters, aware that he and Corey are standing in the middle of a bus where every other passenger is watching them. "But I guess I deserve that. Because this should not have taken me so long."

He looks down at his cup that looks like it has suffered a little at this point, but Corey's uneven little heart is still right there, and that's all that matters. "Um, do you have a pen, maybe?"

Corey checks his pockets but before he can find a pen anywhere, a lady sitting close to them offers Brett one, clearly excited to see what he's going to do with it. Brett takes a deep breath out and starts writing on the cup.

The result looks exactly what you'd expect it to, considering how nervous Brett is and that it was written in a moving bus with all eyes on Brett's shaky hands, including Corey's. But when Brett turns it around and holds it out to Corey, the look on his face is worth absolutely everything.

_ Will you go out with me? _

"I thought you'd never ask," Corey says. That very special kind of Corey smile starts spreading on his lips as he's still looking at the cup in his hands, and then he looks up and Brett knows exactly why this is the smile he fell for, because it's not just on Corey's lips but in his eyes too, and it's powerful enough to let him ignore the cheering and applause from several of the bus passengers.

"Hey, uh, not to sound like an idiot but I kind of don't know where I am right now," Brett admits.

Corey laughs and holds his hand out. "Next stop is mine. How is tonight for that date?"

Brett takes the hand in his own and intertwines their fingers. "Perfect. Tonight is perfect."


End file.
